EXTRA?funding has been confirmed for a scheme which enables parishes to carry out work which enhances their communities.

The commitment to the ‘parish lengthsman’ scheme comes from Hampshire County Council and will support up to 130 parish councils.

Rob Humby, the authority’s member for environment and transport, said: “The Parish Lengthsman scheme enables parishes to carry out work that they see as enhancing their local communities, such as ditch clearing, cutting back vegetation and sign cleaning.

“It also means we continue to develop a strong working relationship between parish councils and the county council.”

He continued: “The role of parish lengthsman was reintroduced in Hampshire to give local communities more say in the upkeep of their own areas, as they are best placed to prioritise any improvements they would like in their villages.

“We started with 10 parish councils as a pilot in the Meon Valley and the scheme has been a great success. In 2016, the number of parishes participating in the scheme will have grown to 125. I’m pleased to confirm that the county council is able to continue to fund it for the coming financial year.”

Parishes can either employ their own lengthsman or commission a lengthsman service from the county council’s highways maintenance contractor, Amey. Each participating parish will receive £1,000.